Inbox: Strange Wu

wweek.com Readers Comments

“Why would Democrats exert pressure on Wu to resign? Is WW insinuating that Wu had an affair like [Chris] Lee did? Ugh.

Does WW ever
do real journalism? Or do you guys/gals just report opinions and
hearsay?…. Are you now owned by your advertisements or what? You’re all
pathetic.” —Chicostix

“I think WW was insinuating that
Wu suffers from mental illness and drug addiction like [Patrick] Kennedy
did. From your comments, I assume you were just as upset by WW’s
reporting on the bizarre behavior of Mayor Sam Adam’s questionable
sexual relationship with an underage boy or senator Bob Packwood’s
outright lewd behavior with what seemed like half the state’s female population.

When an elected
official of either party engages in behavior that calls their integrity
into question, they themselves are to blame. WW does not appear to have manufactured facts or to have created the emails that came from David Wu. I do not feel WW did this piece to humiliate Mr. Wu. WW
is a legitimate and respected journalistic organization and recognizes
their responsibility and obligation to the public to report the facts to
their readership.

I am not sure that I will be able to support David Wu again in his next campaign. Perhaps if he is more forthcoming about his psychological issues then I will be more sympathetic to him as a person.
Currently he appears to be a bit out of control and has placed himself
in the unenviable position that so many other politicians have been in
the past.

I hate to use the phrase ‘fair and balanced,’ but that is what I feel WW is acting in the spirit of. Just my $0.02.” —Wondering

“I’m not really sure what to make of this article. Is there more you would have said if you didn’t fear libel charges?

Everything except
staffers quitting and the email exchanges seems odd, but there are
plenty of odd people at all levels of the federal government.

My assessment:
He’s an awkward guy who didn’t know how to counterbalance the effect of
his pain pills or casually drinking while on them. So, he’s a lush
that was recently divorced and in a stressful election. All of these in
my mind could lead to what you just described.

I remember once
hearing an anecdote about how once Grover Cleveland’s wife woke him in
the middle of the night because she thought there were burglars in the
house. Apparently, half asleep, he replied something like, ‘Yes,
Congress is full of crooks and alcoholics.’

Let’s hope he recovers and the next election is about more pressing matters than an adorable 55-year-old Asian man in a tiger suit.” —Blonk

CORRECTION: Last week’s cover
story, “Strange Wu,” referred imprecisely to a 1998 campaign tactic by
then-rookie candidate David Wu. It was a direct-mail piece, not an ad,
that showed a woman’s purse filled with credit cards. WW regrets the error.

Letters to the editor must include the author’s street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words. Submit to: 2220 NW Quimby St., Portland, OR 97210. Fax: (503) 243-1115, Email: mzusman@wweek.com